How Long is the Ideal Race Day?

[andtheyreoff]

If you can, please respond. I'm curious to see what people think.

[PoloUK6108]

Originally Posted by andtheyreoff

If you can, please respond. I'm curious to see what people think.

10..11 on a Saturday. Arlington's annoying only running 8, Monmouths annoying always running 12 haha.

[cj]

I'd say it is more a time issue than the number of races. Most major sports are in the three hour window or less. Racing could do well to emulate this while keeping the number of races around 9.


1:00
1:23
1:46
2:09
2:32
2:55
3:18
3:41
4:04

I don't think dragging out post times helps handle. Most people bet in the last few minutes whether they have to 30 minutes to wait or 20. There is no reason tracks can't run a race every 23 minutes as listed above.

[Kash$]

Originally Posted by cj

I'd say it is more a time issue than the number of races. Most major sports are in the three hour window or less. Racing could do well to emulate this while keeping the number of races around 9.


1:00
1:23
1:46
2:09
2:32
2:55
3:18
3:41
4:04

I don't think dragging out post times helps handle. Most people bet in the last few minutes whether they have to 30 minutes to wait or 20. There is no reason tracks can't run a race every 23 minutes as listed above.

CJ are you including Saratoga? They run A race every 35 minutes which is absurd.
Derby Day every 45 minutes

[cj]

Originally Posted by Kash$

CJ are you including Saratoga? They run A race every 35 minutes which is absurd.
Derby Day every 45 minutes

I can see extending the time some on special days with huge crowds where getting a bet in can actually be an issue. But still, those are excessive IMO.

[Stillriledup]

The late Dick Van Patten might say eight is NOT enough. You need at least 9 races.

[thaskalos]

I say, run as many races as you can while keeping at least 8 horses in every race. If only 56 horses are available on a particular day...then run only 7 races.

[davew]

I was hoping for a number of hours question.

Many dog tracks can run 15 races in 3.5 hours.

Why so long between horse races?

[raybo]

I would think that the number of races carded should be tied to the number of horses available, and the various conditions that need to be carded for that population of horses, with an eye on achieving a decent average field size. Time should have little to do with it other than allotting enough time for jockeys, trainers, assistants, etc., that had mounts in the previous race to get ready for the next one, get the horses to the paddock, get them saddled and prepped, get their paddock walk in for bettors to view, get on the track and get the horses' warm-ups done, and get loaded in the gate. All that takes a certain amount of time.

[Kash$]

Why is post still at 100pm most people are working.Racing stuck in a time machine

[WP1981]

I am probably in the minority here, but I prefer the 7 race UK and IRE cards. Not a lot to get overwhelmed with and I can usually find big fields in at least 6 of the legs. I loved the opening Meadowlands/Monmouth card of 6 races.

Different strokes.

[ronsmac]

I know people love Saratoga, but their days are brutally long. I want a 9 or 10 race card with 27 minutes between races. I'm a dinosaur , so 11 and 12 race cards become a lot of work for me, and 34 minutes between races makes me want to jump off a bridge. Oaklawn probably is the best fit for me. I love 4 day weeks, alot of 9 race cards, and usually a little less than 30 min between races.

[Track Phantom]

I can tell you that the time between races is the reason most casual fans don't go to the races more.

I was there with family last year for a three-day stretch. On the first day, everyone was jovial, laughing, having fun, up until the last couple of races where you could see people were starting to drag. There just wasn't enough stimulation between races and, not unexpectedly, they were bored.

By the third day, they wanted to slit their wrists by the 4th race.

Got to find a way to keep the entire day at a 3 hour maximum if you want the casual fan to attend more.

[Stillriledup]

Originally Posted by Valento

I can tell you that the time between races is the reason most casual fans don't go to the races more.

I was there with family last year for a three-day stretch. On the first day, everyone was jovial, laughing, having fun, up until the last couple of races where you could see people were starting to drag. There just wasn't enough stimulation between races and, not unexpectedly, they were bored.

By the third day, they wanted to slit their wrists by the 4th race.

Got to find a way to keep the entire day at a 3 hour maximum if you want the casual fan to attend more.

The long delay is for the horsemen, nobody has to rush, owners can hang in the paddock taking pics with the jockey etc they don't care if the bettors are sitting around twiddling their thumbs, it's all about the participants and making sure they're as comfortable as possible.

[Saratoga_Mike]

Originally Posted by Kash$

Why is post still at 100pm most people are working.Racing stuck in a time machine

Most harness racing is at night, and they're in much worse shape than t'bred racing from a handle standpt.